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Owned receiver purchase

I have a secondary bedroom with an analog TV in it. I never use the TV, so I don't have a receiver on the TV. I will be having company stay in the room on a random basis and they would like to hook the TV up to D* just while they are staying there. I'm on a SWM system and I have MRV. They would like to access the MRV network. I want to purchase an HD receiver, so I can activate on/off as I wish. They want to watch HD programming in downrezz.
Question:
What is the most inexpensive option? H20?

H20's are not WHDVR compatible. It's difficult these days to buy an "owned" Receiver because the vast majority are leased. Shop very carefully on eBay and you might be able to find one. Just be sure to check its RID number and subscription status by calling DirecTV yourself before buying anything. Too many folks misrepresent stolen or leased equipment and DirecTV won't activate those.

If you don't mind a DVR, looks like Matt is selling R22s, if you already have MRV those will work, and he's asking a reasonable price. They act as an HD DVR on an account with HD already. Plus he's about the safest guy to buy a receiver from, he's an expert on owned units.

RobertE has said that buying one from the Access Card Department is different, but you should at least be able to guarantee not an H20. I think buying one from DirecTV would cost more than $160+shipping though, as long as that hard drive chatter wasn't bothersome.

That's actually not true; if you are buying the receiver outright, you will get a new receiver (at least), and generally that is always going to be the latest model, unless you are buying when two different models are still in production.

Alright, H21 or newer. I know to check the number with the access card dept before buying.

How are people buying H24's? I see a bunch on ebay that say they are owned and even give the RID numbers. How much does D* charge to buy one outright?

Employee's of DirecTV get their equipment for free and its owned. They are able to sell them as well. That is one way owned ones circulate. Also if you have a owned receiver and it dies and you have the protection plan they replace owned for owned and you could get a H24 in its place.

What is the deal with people selling leased receivers? I have started calling in RID's and they all come back as leased!! I told the sellers and they always come back with smart *** remark about how they bought them as a flee market or a storage auction and they now have the right to sell them. D* said they wouldn't even activate a leased unit, unless it was from them or an authorized dealer. Is there someone at D* that would like to know the whereabouts of their stolen equipment and could shut these illegal ebay auctions down?

What is the deal with people selling leased receivers? I have started calling in RID's and they all come back as leased!! I told the sellers and they always come back with smart *** remark about how they bought them as a flee market or a storage auction and they now have the right to sell them. D* said they wouldn't even activate a leased unit, unless it was from them or an authorized dealer. Is there someone at D* that would like to know the whereabouts of their stolen equipment and could shut these illegal ebay auctions down?

Not really. I dont think they care but that is because once a leased reciever is deactivated it has a short window to be returned before they charge the customer a large sum for the unreturned hardware. After that why would they care where its at? They just wont let someone else reactivate it because it is owned by D*.

Just make absolutely sure they are owned and in the clear, by verifying the receiver and card ID with Directv...

I guess I wasn't clear...this thread probably wasn't the best place to pose this question, mea culpa. I'm talking about LEASED units, NIB. I just thought it might be an option for someone wanting a specific model (HR24) and willing to accept a 2 year contract extension for activating a LEASED unit.

As I've said, I've seen some of these go for < $100 shipped which is a considerable savings compared to other online prices, especially considering that DirecTV will often credit a subscriber's account for part of the cost when purchasing from somewhere other than through them.

I wanted to update everyone.
I purchased an HR24-100 and D12-100, both verified as being owned. The person thought they had an H24, and I wasn't going to tell them otherwise. Since the person got them for free, and had no use for them, I got them both for a really, really good price.

Now my question is, how do I hook up them up to test them and make sure they are working without getting an access card and activating them? Are there test channels? I may end up using one and selling the other. I have not decided yet. The HR powers on, but I can't tell if the D is on or not. There doesn't appear to be a light of any type on the front panel.